The rain pours down in San Francisco as if the sky is slowly creeping towards the ground. It makes the bay look musty –lacking any recollection of colors that aren’t a shade of grey. There was a beacon of spirited joy, however, just feet from the water’s edge on this rainy Friday in January: through the infinitely tall glass windows of San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza, any soaked and unhappy passerby could see the jovial bustle of The Slanted Door.

Charles Phan’s renowned Vietnamese restaurant was packed with what I thought was a lunchtime rush, but Charles said it was a slow day. The calm choreography of the servers’ movements circling around the tables—not one of which was empty– coupled with the precise pitter-patter of the bartenders, busboys, and cooks made the milieu an amazing one to watch.

The book, which will hit stores September 2012, includes wholesome Vietnamese dishes Charles makes at home, so shots of him and his family in his home kitchen—and in Chinatown–will be added to the footage taken at The Slanted Door, where Charles fired up his famous Shaking Beef at the wok.

Observing Charles in the hot trenches of the kitchen and admiring the finished dishes savored by restaurant-goers, we couldn’t resist getting a bite of this authentic yet modern Vietnamese cooking as well. Our lunch from Out the Door, which is—quite literally—a to-go spot outside of The Slanted Door, was a delicious treat. Casual and quick, but every bit as satisfying.